Kyoto, officially Kyoto City is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. As of 2018, the city had a population of 1.47 million. It is located some 30 miles (50 km) northeast of the industrial city of ?saka and about the same distance from Nara, another ancient centre of Japanese culture. Gently sloping downward from north to south, the city averages 180 feet (55 metres) above sea level. Ky?to fu is at the centre of Kinki chih? (region). The city is one of the centres (with nearby ?saka and K?be) of the Keihanshin Industrial Zone, the second largest urban and industrial agglomeration in Japan.

In 794, Kyoto (then known as Heian-ky?) was chosen as the new seat of Japan's imperial court. The original city was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an. The Imperial Palace faces south, resulting in Uky? (the right sector of the capital) being on the west while Saky? (the left sector) is on the east. The streets in the modern-day wards of Nakagy?, Shimogy?, and Kamigy?-ku still follow a grid pattern.

The Emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until 1869, when the court relocated to Tokyo. The city was devastated during the ?nin War in the 15th century and went into an extended period of decline, but gradually revived under the Tokugawa shogunate (1600–1868) and flourished as a major city in Japan. The modern municipality of Kyoto was established in 1889. The city was spared from large-scale destruction during World War II and as a result, its prewar cultural heritage has mostly been preserved.

Kyoto is considered the cultural capital of Japan and a major tourist destination. It is home to numerous Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces and gardens, many of which are listed collectively by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Prominent landmarks include the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji and the Katsura Imperial Villa. Kyoto is also a center of higher learning, with Kyoto University being an institution of international renown.

• Kyoto is the name of both a city and a prefecture. There is Kyoto City (population 1.5 million) and Kyoto Prefecture (population 2.6 million)
• There are 1,681 temples and 812 shrines in the city of Kyoto
• It is believed that there are over 1000 Buddhist temples in Kyoto. The mother of all shrines, Fushimi-Inari-Taisha, has mesmerizing arcades of vermilion torii spread across a mountainside
• People in Kyoto Prefecture consume bread more than people in any other prefecture in Japan do and spend more money on coffee than people in any other prefecture do
• Now a world famous game maker “Nintendo” was established in Kyoto in 1889. They made playing cards for Japanese card game
• JR Kyoto Station has the longest platform in Japan. It has the length of 564 meters and it takes 5 minutes to walk from one side to the other
• The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005

The directly elected executive mayor in Kyoto as of 2013 is Daisaku Kadokawa, an independent supported by Democratic Party of Japan, Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito Party, Your Party and Social Democratic Party. The legislative city assembly has 69 elected members.

Ky?to urban prefecture, which extends to the Sea of Japan, is under the administration of an elected governor, while the city is administered by an elected mayor and city council.

The key industry of Kyoto is information technology and electronics: the city is home to the headquarters of Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, SCREEN Holdings, Tose, Hatena, Omron, Kyocera, Shimadzu Corp., Rohm, Horiba, Nidec Corporation, Nichicon, Nissin Electric, and GS Yuasa. Tourists are hugely fond of Kyoto, contributing significantly to its economy. The cultural heritage sites of Kyoto are constantly visited by school groups from across Japan, and many foreign tourists also stop in Kyoto. In 2014, the city government announced that a record number of tourists had visited Kyoto, and it was favoured as the world's best city by U.S. travel magazines.

Traditional Japanese crafts are also a major industry of Kyoto, most of which are run by artisans in their plants. Kyoto's kimono weavers are particularly renowned, and the city remains the premier center of kimono manufacturing. Gekkeikan and Takara Holdings are major sake brewers headquartered in Kyoto. Other notable businesses headquartered in Kyoto include Aiful, Ishida, MK, Nissen Holdings, Oh-sho, Sagawa Express, Volks and Wacoal. The concentration of population to the capital city area is 55%, which is highest among the prefectures. The economic difference between the coastal area and inland area including Kyoto basin is significant. Encompassing ¥10.12 trillion, Kyoto MEA had the fourth-largest economy in the country in 2010.

Ky?to is a city of thousands of medium and small industries, many of them family owned and operated. Traditional handicrafts abound, and their manufacture for the tourist trade is an important element of Ky?to’s economic life. Anti Pollution measures have forced the once-thriving Kiyomizu pottery kilns to move to nearby Yamashina.

For centuries silk weaving, centred in the north-central Nishijin district, has been one of Ky?to’s major industries. Along with the geisha and entertainment sector, the fine textiles, delicate fabrics, and embroidery represent a continuity of Ky?to’s traditional role as the centre of Japanese culture. In addition, the Fushimi district in southern Ky?to, favoured with excellent water, produces some of Japan’s finest sake. Also located in southern Ky?to are several industries established after World War II that produce industrial ceramics, women’s garments, and medical instruments. Since the early 1980s, companies such as Kyocera Corporation have put Ky?to in the forefront of such high-technology industries as electronics, robotics, and computers.

Although Kyoto does not have its own large commercial airport, travelers can get to the city via nearby Itami Airport, Kobe Airport or Kansai International Airport. The Haruka Express operated by JR West carries passengers from Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station in 73 minutes.Osaka Airport Transport buses connect Itami Airport and Kyoto Station Hachijo Gate in 50 minutes and cost 1,310 yen for a one-way trip.

Some buses go further, make stops at major hotels and terminals in the downtown area. Another airport located further from the city is Nagoya Airfield located 135.5 KM away from the city. Kyoto's municipal bus network is extensive. Private carriers also operate within the city. Many tourists join commuters on the public buses, or take tour buses. Kyoto's buses have announcements in English and electronic signs with stops written in the Latin alphabet.

Most city buses have a fixed fare. A one-day bus pass and a combined unlimited train and bus pass are also available. These are especially useful for visiting many different points of interest within Kyoto. The bus information center just outside the central station handles tickets and passes. The municipal transport company publishes a very useful leaflet called «Bus Navi.» It contains a route map for the bus lines to most sites and fare information. This too is available at the information center in front of the main station.

There are five bicycle rental stations and 21 EcoStations in central Kyoto. Because of the large number of cyclists, permitted bicycle parking areas can be difficult to find.

Within Kyoto's ancient lanes, a one-way system is prevalent and necessary for preservation of its character. The city is connected with other parts of Japan by the Meishin Expressway, which has two interchanges in the city: Kyoto Higashi in Yamashina-ku and Kyoto Minami in Fushimi-ku. The Kyoto-Jukan Expressway connects the city to northern regions of Kyoto Prefecture. The Daini Keihan Road is a new bypass to Osaka.

Although Greater Kyoto has fewer toll-highways than other comparable Japanese cities, it is served with elevated dual and even triple-carriageway national roads. As of 2018, only 10.1 kilometres of the Hanshin Expressway Kyoto Route is in operation. There are nine national highways in the city of Kyoto: Route 1, Route 8, Route 9, Route 24, Route 162, Route 171, Route 367, Route 477 and Route 478.

Just like other major cities in Japan, Kyoto is well served by rail transportation systems operated by several different companies and organizations. The city's main gateway terminal, Ky?to Station, which is one of the most popular stations in the country, connects The T?kaid? Shinkansen bullet train Line with five JR West lines, a Kintetsu line and a municipal subway line. The Keihan, the Hankyu, and other rail networks also offer frequent services within the city and to other cities and suburbs in the Kinki region. There is a Railway Heritage site in Kyoto, where visitors can experience the range of Japanese railways in the JR Museum formerly Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum, situated about the roundhouse.The Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau operates the Kyoto Municipal Subway consisting of two lines: the Karasuma Line and the T?zai Line. The Transportation Bureau and Kintetsu jointly operate through services, which continue to the Kintetsu Kyoto Line to Kintetsu Nara Station in Nara. The Karasuma Line and the Kintetsu Kyoto Line connect at Kyoto and Takeda. All the stations are located in the city proper.

The T?zai Line is coloured vermilion, and its stations are given numbers following the letter «T». This line runs from the southeastern area of the city, then east to west through the Kyoto downtown area where trains run beneath the three east-west streets: Sanj? Street , Oike Street and Oshik?ji Street .

The line has following stations, from east to west: Rokujiz? in Uji; Ishida and Daigo in Fushimi-ku; Ono, Nagitsuji, Higashino, Yamashina and Misasagi in Yamashina-ku; Keage, Higashiyama and Sanj? Keihan in Higashiyama-ku; Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae, Karasuma Oike, Nij?j?-mae, Nij? and Nishi?ji Oike in Nakagy?-ku; and Uzumasa Tenjingawa in Uky?-ku.

The Keihan Keishin Line has been integrated into this line, and thus Keihan provides services from Hama?tsu in the neighbouring city of ?tsu, the capital of Shiga Prefecture.

The T?zai Line connects to the Keihan lines at Rokujiz?, Yamashina, Misasagi and Sanj? Keihan, to the JR lines at Nij?, Yamashina and Rokujiz?, and to the Keifuku Electric Railroad at Uzumasa Tenjingawa. All the stations except Rokujiz? are located in Kyoto.

The T?kaid? Shinkansen operated by JR Central provides high-speed rail service linking Kyoto with Nagoya, Yokohama and Tokyo to the east of Kyoto and with nearby Osaka and points west on the San'y? Shinkansen, such as Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kitakyushu, and Fukuoka. The trip from Tokyo takes about two hours and eighteen minutes. From Hakata in Fukuoka, Nozomi takes you to Kyoto in just over three hours. All trains including Nozomi stop at Kyoto Station, serving as a gateway to not only Kyoto Prefecture but also northeast Osaka, south Shiga and north Nara.